Follow News & Successes

The Canadian Peace Initiative is a non-partisan organization, interested in working with any party to increase federal peace-building capacities, in particular through establishing a federal Department of Peace.

To help voters in this 2015 Federal Election, we have summarized statements of four major parties:

Openly supportive & active The NDP have twice introduced Private Members Bills specifically for the creation of a federal Department of Peace. They proclaim in their current plan they will work “to earn a Canadian seat at the United Nations Security Council – an important step in rebuilding Canada’s role as a leader in democratic development, peacekeeping and peacebuilding.”

Unknown The Liberal Party states on their website that they “will contribute more to the United Nations’ mediation, conflict-prevention, and post-conflict reconstruction efforts,” but we do not yet have specific statements for establishing a Department of Peace.

Opposed The Conservative Party‘s Hon. Jason Kenney (Minister of Defence) recently described in The Hill Times (reiterated on his website) that they are focused on increasing military capabilities. He opposed the Department of Peace concept, stating that “Instead of working with us to improve defence, the NDP co-sponsored a bill not long ago to create more bureaucracy with a ‘Department of Peace’?”

We are very encouraged by the passage of the following motion at the 2014 Liberal National Convention (held February 20-23):

BE IT RESOLVED that the Liberal Party of Canada urge the next Liberal government of Canada to establish a governmental institution for peace with a mandate that includes the creation of a permanent Canadian Civilian Service of professionally trained men and women working for (i) the prevention of violent conflict and war, and (ii) the non-violent resolution of conflict at every level of society, both within Canada and overseas, through such means as: